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Numero Uno is Number One in first '74 run Story by J im & Sue Stewart Photos by Matt Cher ish LUCERNE, CAL.,jAN. 13 The first race of the year I S over. Hundreds of determined District 37 desert riders braved the cold and fog, yes, fog, to race the Vikings yearly Lloyd Cox Memorial Hare Scrambles. The start was delayed a half hour because of the dense fog which made it almost impossible to see the banner truck. It w as evident A.C. Bakken had no p roblem in seeing the banner drop by his being first to the bomb. Hot on his rear fender we re jim Fishback, Mitch Mayes, Mike Marsh and Tom Brooks. A.C. was able to hold them off co rning into the pits, but a tap on the shoulder by Mi tch Mayes as he wen t by and let A.C. know he was second after the stop. Following A.C. and Mayes was the first 250 Expert, Steve Holladay on his Yamaha. The former Heavyweight king of '73, Art Knapp was next, being suspended in the rear by a pair of prototype Curnutts. Couldn't find a much better tester than Art ! Then came the newest threat for an overall win since win ning the SoCal Hare and Hound this year, Bob Ramine, followed by jim Fishback, who had been leading at the first check. Trailbike leader on the first lo op was Chris Weber of the Rimrunners on his very swift Pen ton, followed by Bob Rutten and Bruce Ogilvie. While the Trail Experts were battling it out so were the Trail Amateurs and the race was between Mark Cartwrigh t and Robbie Zamora for first, with Mark having a slig h t advantage. It's only fi tting that the new heavy w eigh t , n u me ro un o , Mitch Mayes should win the first race of the year, and that he did. But a mi nute and a half later, when everyone expected to see Ba kk en, they saw a bright pin k Invader j e rse y w orn by heavyweight Bob Ramine o n h is 400 Suzuki. T he n came .the former number two heavyweight and this year's n umber two heavyweigh t Bakken. Bakken was co mplaining of a backache . Bakken d idn ' t k now it b ut he was abou t to become the main ingredien t for a saucer sandwich as another I n vader, also number two, Doug Winchel pulled in for fourth overall, first 250 Expert. Then came the shock tester Art Knapp in for fifth Overall and fo urth open Expert, not bad considering he had a rear flat. Fo llowing Knapp was Steve Holladay who had to settle fo r a well earned second 250 Expert after losing all but about eight spokes out of his rear hub . Andy Kirker was first 175 Expert this weekend which is almost as great as the fact that he was seventh overall on a Division 11 desert sled on a big bike course. Andy must have a good memory since he was fourteenth overall on the first loop. The next four 250 Experts in were jim Wotring, Ron Music, Chris Murdock, and Thomas Grant, instead of Wayne Cook, jerry Herren, and Ray Alexander as it was on the first loop. Desert racing is the only sport in the world where you can't know who's going to win until the finish, and the former names prove this to be true. First Amateurs go to the following riders; 250 Stan Wilbert, 125 Rich Smith, and 100 Mark Cartwright. The first Open Amateur was number 60 but since I both race and write at the sa me time, I'll miss a few names. I did get the second Open Amateur's name, B. Wise, only because it was printed on his leat hers which I caught a glimpse of as he was hurrying away to his warm van after a hard ride. H.B .M. C. m ember Gary Barber was third Open Amateur o n his Husky, while Marvin Eich , alias Some days just do n't start out right. I mean , whe n you have to pick yourself up just a few hun dred yards from th e bomb...it has to get better. "Peazer" rode in on Barber's dust for fourth. Other great rides, (every finish was a great ride but it's the points that count), . were put in by Robbie Zamora who hung in there for second Trail Amateur, Rick jones who was hot on the knob of Stan Wilbert for second Division I Amateur, Bob Rutten who made good of the mistake of Chris Weber for first Trail Expert and 36th overall, and Power johnson, second 175 Amateur. Tom Brooks was riding a 250 Honda Elsinore this weekend and was ru mored to have been in the lead when an airless tire caused him to slow considerably. But that's not more exciting than Don Lyon getting fourth 250 Amateur or Mar k Stormes getting six th Open Amateur on his first Amateu r ride, right? All in all the race went off well. The riders seemed to enjoy the fast demanding course , the finisher pins were birchen, the course was wdl marked, but most of all it was a desert race r's dream; no dust! But the re are a few of us who think the rocks made up for the good part. • Results Open Expert : 1. Mitch Mayes (Hus): 2. Bob Ramlne (SUZ); 3 . A.C. Baken (Hus); 4 . Art Knapp (Hus). 250 E xpe r t : 1. D o ug W inchel ( BUI): 2 . Steve Holla day (Vam); 3 . Jim H otr ing (Vam); 4 . Ron Music. 175 E xpe r t : 1. AndY K irker (Vam) . 2 . Monte Lee (Yam); 3. Mike Holbrook ; 4. Lance Biscoe. 100 E xper t: 1. Bob Rutten (Hod); 2. Gary Conner (Hod); 3. Roger Reed (Pen); 4 . Terry Raye (Hod) . Ope n Amateur: 1. Mysterious No. 60 (Hus); 2. B . Wise (Hus): 3 . Gary Barber (Hus); 4 . Marvin Eich (Hus) . 250 A m at e ur : 1. Stan Wilbert (Yam); 2 . Rick Jones (Yam); 3. Jerry Leighton ( Yam); 4 . Don Lyon (SUZ). 175 A m a t eur : 1. Rich Smith (H o n ) ; 2. Gene Ri ch ; 3 . Da n H ar r is ; 4. Jeff L amb son . 100 A m at e u r : 1. Mark Cartwright (HOd); 2. Robbie Zamora (Vam); 3 . R i ck Marrow (Ho d); 4 . Ph il Cl o war d . Eager 0·37 desert freaks blew off through lingering fog and down the sandwash in the first run of 1974 - the Vikings' Hare Scrambles. Bob Ramine was second overall behind Mitch Mayes. He is com ing on strong. 7